''Manekia'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of flowering plants in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Piperaceae The Piperaceae (), also known as the pepper family, are a large family of flowering plants. The group contains roughly 3,600 currently accepted species in 5 genera. The vast majority of species can be found within the two main genera: ''Piper'' ( ...

. It is distributed across disjunct areas in the southern Atlantics Forests of Brazil, the Guiana shield in Venezuela, the Andean regions of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, and the Greater and Lesser Antilles. It thrives in

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

areas, and in humid, premontane or montane forests from sea level to . The name ''Manekia'' is a taxonomic anagram derived from the name of the genus ''

Ekmania ''Ekmania'' is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family. It contains only one known species, ''Ekmania lepidota'', endemic to Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island coun ...

''. The latter name is a taxonomic patronym honoring the Swedish botanist

Erik Leonard Ekman Erik Leonard Ekman was a Swedish botanist and explorer. Biography Erik Leonard Ekman was born into a low-income household with five children on October 14, 1883. Due to economic difficulties, the family moved to the central-Swedish town of Jön ...

Description

''Manekia'' members are characterized by

scandent A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselv ...

lianescent A liana is a long- stemmed, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy in search of direct sunlight. The word ''liana'' does not refer to a ta ...

habits and by short sympodial branches holding the spikes. Flowers possess four stamens, four-carpellate pistils with four or five stigmas. Berries are fully or partially immersed in the rachis. When compared to other Piperaceae genera, the ecology of ''Manekia'' appears rather distinct, with plants invading forest litter, forming large mats of reptant stems, and eventually colonizing nearby

phorophyte In botany phorophytes are plants, on which epiphyte An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. Th ...

s, reaching the

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...

, and often forming large masses on the top before blooming.

Phylogeny

''Manekia'' is the

sister group In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and t ...

to ''

Zippelia ''Zippelia begoniifolia'' is the only species of the monotypic genus ''Zippelia'', a genus of plants in the Piperaceae, the same botanical family as that of black pepper. The species has also been spelled as ''Z. begoniaefolia''. It is an erect, ...

'', and both genera are sister to a clade including ''

Piper Piper may refer to: People * Piper (given name) * Piper (surname) Arts and entertainment Fictional characters Comics * Piper (Morlock), in the Marvel Universe * Piper (Mutate), in the Marvel Universe Television * Piper Chapman, lea ...

'' and ''

Peperomia ''Peperomia'' is one of the two large genera of the family Piperaceae. It is estimated that there are at least over 1,000 species, occurring in all tropical and subtropical regions of the world. They are concentrated in northern South America a ...

''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q15933093 Piperales genera Piperaceae